AKARI (ASTRO-F) was an infrared astronomy satellite developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, in cooperation with institutes of Europe and Korea.

Its primary mission was to survey the entire sky in near-, mid- and far-infrared, through its 68.5 cm (27.0 in) aperture telescope.

[3] Its designed lifespan, of far- and mid-infrared sensors, was 550 days, limited by its liquid helium coolant.

However, after JAXA estimated the remaining helium during early March 2007, observation time was extended at least until 9 September.

[9] On 26 August 2007, liquid-Helium coolant depleted, which means the completion of far- and mid-infrared observation.

In May 2011, AKARI suffered a major electrical failure and the batteries could not take full charge from the solar panels.